Andy Allen's Blog

Syria | How We Should Be Responding

andyallen — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 23:22:42 +0000

The continued reports of crimes against humanity throughout the civil war in Syria are absolutely heartbreaking. Chemical weapons have captured the headlines lately, but there are tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the terror in their home country. We must get inÂ involved in this crisis…but NOT via the US Military!

Nearly 2 million refugees have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey…most of them are women and children. (more info here)

I don’t believe that cruise missiles are the answer. Caring for the hurting, the broken, the vulnerable and the displaced is where we will do the most good for humanity.

World Vision is on the ground bringing clean water, food, clothing and medicine to the refugees. We can help support this work.

CLICK HERE to partner in the efforts providing assistance to Syrian children & families.

re-engage

andyallen — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:33:52 +0000

It’s been exactly 1 year since my last blog post on this site.
I didn’t forget to post.
It was intentional.
I needed to take a step back.
It was time for me to rediscover & redefine my online voice.

This past year has been a unique one in my personal journey.
I toured & performed less this year than any in the past 15.
Pam & I started a new business [Coastal Music Studios].
I’ve wrestled deeply with my personal faith traditions & beliefs.
Another one of our kids moved out of our home to chase their dreams.
I’ve discovered incredibly meaningful community & friendships.
I am living more “true to myself” than I ever have.

So now I’ve decided that it’s time for me to re-engage here.
I’ll be blogging more frequently.
I’ll be working to get back to performing more consistently.
I’ll be continuing my work as an advocate for the widow & orphan.
I’ll be writing, recording and teaching music.
I’ll be focusing on these things because I need the creative outlet.
I’ll be engaging with these things because they have meaning.

For those of you who read and follow, thanks!
I’m grateful for the online community I have with friends here.
I’m thankful that there’s a forum where I can freely share my work & music.
I would love to hear from you and reconnect.

What’s been happening in your world this past year?
leave a comment below…

New Venture Christian Fellowship | August 11-12, 2012

andyallen — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:00:28 +0000

A unique part of my work over the last 15 years has been serving with churches and teams in transition. Â This week I met with the lead team at New Venture Christian Fellowship and agreed to help out as their Transitional Worship Leader while they search for a new full-time worship pastor.

It could be for a few weeks or a few months, depending on their needs and when they identify the right candidate. I’ll still be on the road occasionally, but not as frequently as usual.

This week I co-led with the outgoing worship pastor, Ray Peters. It’s been fun getting to know the people on the team here and get a sense of their heart as worshipers.

Set List:

So yeah…the Olympics have been great…but I’m stoked that the NFL is starting!

Just sayin’…

Introducing The Worship Conference SoCal

andyallen — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:45:45 +0000

Coming to North San Diego on Saturday, October 13th 2012

I’m incredibly excited to introduce you toÂ The Worship Conference SoCal. Following 3 successful years in Northern California, we are expanding the reach of this conference to serve the Southern California region.

This is kind of a new breed of conference as it’s geared to connect and serve people involved in worshipÂ regionallyÂ rather than nationally. There will be something for everyone on your team, including your Lead Pastor. It’s a 1 day conference with 3 key distinctives:

Local Serving LocalÂ (regional instructors…people who understand ministry hereâ€¦we’re all about building relationships)
Non-CommercialÂ (this isÂ notÂ a trade show)
AffordableÂ ($30/person…INCLUDING Lunch)

The win for this conference is going to be the new relationships you’ll build with other leaders, musicians and techy-types who are serving in ministry right here in SoCal with you. We’ll learn from each other and discover new friendships.

The info on our website is coming together as we’re busy confirming clinicians (all volunteers.)

Registration is now open…and space is limitedâ€¦so register your team today!

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

Andy Allen
Director | The Worship Conference SoCal

Questions? Â Need more info? Â Drop me an email:Â andy@theworshipconference.com

New Venture Christian Fellowship | August 4-5, 2012

andyallen — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:47:13 +0000

This weekend it was fun to make some new friends close to home at New Venture Christian Fellowship in Oceanside, CA. The lead pastor here is Shawn Mitchell who also happens to be Chaplain for the San Diego Chargers. Pretty cool.

One thing I’ve noticed while being on the road serving many different churches is the uniqueness that exists in each congregation. The community of faith at New Venture is a beautiful combination of people who genuinely love each other while deeply connected to the fact that God has rescued them from much. They worship Jesus with the passion of people who have experienced God’s love in a powerful way.

Set List:

You can watch the service online by clicking HERE.

How would you describe your community of faith?
Leave a comment below…Â

Clovis Hills Community Church | July 28-29, 2012

andyallen — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:46:22 +0000

Great to be with our friends at Clovis Hills Community Church in Fresno this weekend. Saturday we had the opportunity to meet up with their worship team and look at the ways worship influences community. It was a very cool time of inspiring conversation with some wonderful people.

Saturday night and Sunday morning I co-led worship with Joseph Rangel, the Worship Pastor at Clovis Hills. The band was great…especially that hot keyboard player…she’s my favorite!

For Pam and I, the highlight of the weekend was seeing 49 children sponsored with World Vision!!! Thank you Clovis Hills Community Church for your generosity and willingness to love the widow and the orphan.

While being on the road can have its challenges…getting to hang with friends, worship with a great band and see kids get sponsored is always the win for us.

Set List:

Now…it’s time to watch The Olympics. GO USA!!!

The Station Church | July 8th & 15th, 2012

andyallen — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:45:17 +0000

We’re in the groove of Summer here in North San Diego County; enjoying the beauty outside as well as the opportunity to serve people within our community of faith.

Here are the set lists from these past couple weeks…

July 8th:

One Thing Remains |Â Jesus Culture
Stronger |Â Hillsong Live
Forever Reign |Â One Sonic Society
Furious |Â Jeremy Riddle

July 15th:

Search My Heart |Â Hillsong United
Furious | Jeremy Riddle
Awakening |Â Chris Tomlin
Never Once |Â Matt Redman

How is your Summer going?
Leave a comment below…Â

The Station Church | July 1st, 2012

andyallen — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:30:49 +0000

It was fun to be back with my team at The Station this weekend. Our family took a stay-cation the past couple weeks to kick this Summer off. A lot of great relaxation and time at the beach to renew the soul.

There was a cool energy in the room because we had a team from Highland Park Baptist Church in Alabama visiting this week. They were on a mission here to serve The Station and the Carlsbad community. It was inspiring to hear them tell a few stories during service about the impact this week had on their team.

We opened our worship experience with a 2 song set, moved into the teaching time and then did 3 more tunes with communion in the closing set. The band freakin’ rocked and the worship had a celebratory feel which was a blast to lead.

Set List:

How was your weekend? What songs are working in your worship setting?
Leave a comment below…

Love Does

andyallen — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:41:29 +0000

Love DoesÂ |Â Discover A Secretly Incredible Life In An Ordinary World
By Bob Goff

I remember first reading about this guy named Bob Goff in a Donald Miller book. Don made him sound like a pretty cool dude. Then I had a chance to hear my friend Al Andrews (who wrote a book called The Boy, The Kite & The Wind) talk about how this guy named Bob Goff had challenged him to do more than just dream about making a difference in the worldâ€¦but to actually go do it.

Love Does is a collection of stories about Bob’s life. Each story is told in the animated and forward manner you’d hear if Bob were sitting in your living room recounting the experience. Each story also explores a refreshing look at the way Bob perceives God being real and accessibleâ€¦not religious and reserved for the holy few.

The beauty within this book is the encouragement you’ll feel to do more than simply dream your dreams. I felt challenged to do more with my ordinary moments and to look for creative ways to embrace the joy and opportunity that life brings my way every day.

I found the first half of the book to be entertaining and motivating with the second half leading me on a journey to explore how my faith can impact the way I live life with renewed passion.Â With contagious optimism and a bold approach to loving people without conditionâ€¦Bob has inspired and reminded me to dream big, embrace whimsy and do love.

Oh yeahâ€¦and all the proceeds from this book go to helping people in Uganda…so you should buy it!

Get your copy from Amazon HEREâ€¦then let me know what you think.
Leave a comment below…

*I was given this book to review byÂ booksneeze.com. The opinions in this review are mine alone and are not the opinions of the publisher.

Happy Father’s Day To Me [twenty-twelve]

andyallen — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:59:07 +0000

I love being a Dad!

Every year I play hooky with each of my kids. It’s kind of like our own version Ferris Beuller’s Day Off….we just call it Father-Son Day and Father-Daughter Day.

The kids never know exactly what day it will be or what we’re going to do together. They talk about it all year long. I find the anticipation entertaining as we approach the end of each school year. There is constant speculation about when it will be and what I have planned.

Since Father’s Day is this weekend I thought it would be fun to share a couple pics from my 2012 Father-Son/Daughter Day adventures.

: Father-Son Day | w/ Kieran

: Father-Daughter Day | w/ Maggie

: Father-Daughter Day | w/ Brenna

So, do you have any fun traditions with your Dad or as a Dad?
Leave a comment below…Â